Islam is on the Rise
During the last 20 years, the number of Muslims in the world has been increasing steadily. Statistics for the year 1973 indicate that the world population of Muslims was 500 million; now, it has reached 1.5 billion. Today, every fourth person is a Muslim.1 It is probable that the Muslim population will continue to increase and that Islam will become the world's largest religion.
The reason for this steady rise is not only the increasing population in Muslim countries, but also the growing numbers of people who are turning to Islam, a phenomenon that has gained momentum, especially after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 (hereinafter referred to as 9/11). This attack, deplored by everyone, especially Muslims, has suddenly turned people's attention (especially Americans) to Islam. People in the West are talking a lot about what kind of a religion Islam is, what the Qur'an says, what obligations come with being a Muslim, and how Muslims are required to conduct their affairs. This interest has naturally brought about a rise in the number of people worldwide turning to Islam. So, the commonly heard prediction after 9/11 that "this attack will change the course of world history" has, in a sense, started to come true. The process of returning to religious and spiritual values, which the world has been experiencing for a long time, has become a turning to Islam.
Sometimes, when such developments are reported by the media, we see how extraordinary these events really are. Although sometimes presented as ordinary occurrences, in reality they are signs that Islamic morality has begun to spread throughout the world very quickly.
We must realize that these signs are either ignored in favor of other events, or cannot properly be appreciated by many people. However, it is of great importance that:
I.Morocco, II. Algeria, III. Nigeria, IV. Turkey, V. Egypt, VI. Sudan, VII. Irak, VIII. Saudi Arabia, IX. Iran, X. Kazakhstan, XI. Pakistan, XII. India , XIII. Bangladesh, XIV. China, XV. Indonesia
This map, published in Der Spiegel, shows where the Muslim population is dense. The dark green areas indicate places where the Muslim population is more than 90%.
- Prominent statesmen quote the Qur'an in their speeches and take every occasion to express their reverence for it.
- They have begun to visit mosques and ask for detailed information about Islam.
- For the first time in history, the Pope has invited Christians and Muslims to fast together for one day.
- Christian clergy quote the Qur'an in their sermons.
- For weeks, the Qur'an has been the best selling book in Western countries
- There have been internationally televised special news programs, reports, and discussion programs introducing Islam.
- World-renowned newspapers have published articles about Islam and Muslims.
- The most popular books in libraries are those about Islam and Islamic history.
This book presents and evaluates these developments so that readers may appreciate their importance. On the one hand, this book will attempt to make believers more determined and resolved and, on the other hand, show the importance of telling everyone about Islamic morality. All of these developments have been revealed in the Qur'an"When God's help and victory have arrived, and you have seen people entering God's religion in droves, then glorify your Lord's praise and ask His forgiveness" (Qur'an, 110: 2-3) and it is important to know that what this verse says will come true very soon. It is even happening now. God will indeed fulfill this promise. Therefore, believers must do whatever they can to take part in these developments.
The fall of Atheism and the Rise of Faith
Before looking at Islam's world-wide growth, we must examine another critical development: the collapse of atheism and the rise of faith. Almost everyone who has studied human history, particularly its philosophical and social aspects, will agree that the nineteenth century was an important period, for it was during those years that the first steps were taken toward the future spiritual collapse. Its most important characteristic was the growth of atheism (i.e., rejecting God's Existence) as opposed to theistic beliefs and religion, which had been generally dominant in the world until then.
Although atheism has existed from ancient times, the rise of this idea actually began in eighteenth-century Europe, with the spread and political effect of the philosophy of some anti-religious thinkers. Materialists such as Denis Diderot (1713-84) and Baron d'Holbach (1723-89) proposed that the universe was a conglomeration of matter that had existed forever and that only matter existed. In the nineteenth century, atheism spread even further afield. Such thinkers as Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-72), Karl Marx (1818-83), Friedrich Engels (1820-95), Friedrich Nietzsche (1884-1900), Emile Durkheim (1859-1917), and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) applied atheist thinking to different fields of science and philosophy.
The greatest support for atheism came from Charles Darwin (1809-82), who rejected the idea of creation and proposed the theory of evolution, which gave a supposedly scientific answer to the question that had baffled atheists for centuries: How did human beings and living things come to be?
This theory convinced a great many people that there was a mechanism in nature that animated lifeless matter and produced millions of different living species from it.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, atheists formulated a worldview that "explained" everything: The universe had not been created, for it had no beginning and had existed forever. They claimed that it had no purpose, that its order and balance were the result of chance, and that Darwin's theory of evolution explained how human beings and other living things came into being. They believed that Marx and Durkheim had explained history and sociology, and that Freud had explained psychology on the basis of atheist assumptions. However, twentieth-century scientific, political, and social developments disproved these views, for ongoing discoveries in astronomy, biology, psychology, and social sciences nullified the bases of atheist suppositions.
Karl Marx (1818-83), Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) applied atheist thought to different fields of science and philosophy and caused this view to be disseminated.
In his book God: The Evidence, The Reconciliation of Faith and Reason in a Postsecular World, American scholar Patrick Glynn of the George Washington University writes:
Scientific, social, and political developments in the twentieth century caused atheism to collapse. Patrick Glynn deals with this process in his book God: The Evidence.
The past two decades of research have overturned nearly all the important assumptions and predictions of an earlier generation of modern secular and atheist thinkers relating to the issue of God. Modern thinkers assumed that science would reveal the universe to be ever more random and mechanical; instead it has discovered unexpected new layers of intricate order that bespeak an almost unimaginably vast master design. Modern psychologists predicted that religion would be exposed as a neurosis and outgrown; instead, religious commitment has been shown empirically to be a vital component of basic mental health…Few people seem to realize this, but by now it should be clear: Over the course of a century in the great debate between science and faith, the tables have completely turned. In the wake of Darwin, atheists and agnostics like [Thomas Henry] Huxley [1825-95] and [Bertrand] Russell [1872-1970] could point to what appeared to be a solid body of testable theory purportedly showing life to be accidental and the universe radically contingent. Many scientists and intellectuals continue to cleave to this worldview. But they are increasingly pressed to almost absurd lengths to defend it. Today the concrete data point strongly in the direction of the God hypothesis.2
Science, which has been presented as the pillar of atheist/materialist philosophy, turns out to be just the opposite. As another writer puts it: "The strict materialism that excludes all purpose, choice, and spirituality from the world simply cannot account for the data pouring in from labs and observatories."3
In short, atheism suffered a sudden collapse in the last quarter of the twentieth century at the hands of the very scientific and sociological concepts from which its adherents had hoped to receive the most support. In this chapter, we will look at its collapse in the areas of cosmology, biology, psychology, medicine, and sociology; later sections will discuss how this has prepared the foundation for Islam's rise.
Cosmology: The Collapse of the Concept of An Eternal Universe and the Discovery of Creation
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804; above) proposed that the universe was eternal, a claim that is strongly defended by materialists.
The first blow to atheism from twentieth-century science was in the field of cosmology. The idea that the universe had existed forever was discounted, for scientists discovered that it had a beginning. In other words, they proved scientifically that the universe had been created from nothing.
This idea of an eternal universe came to the Western world, along with materialist philosophy, from classical Greek civilization. It stated that only matter exists, and that the universe comes from eternity and goes to eternity. In the Middle Ages, when the Catholic church dominated Western thought, materialism was forgotten. However, in the modern period Western scientists and philosophers became consumed with curiosity about these classical Greek origins and revived an interest in materialism.
The first person to propose a materialist understanding of the universe was the renowned German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), even though he was not a materialist in the philosophical sense of the word. Kant proposed that the universe was eternal and that every possibility could be realized only within this eternity. With the coming of the nineteenth century, it became widely accepted that the universe had no beginning and that there had been no moment of creation. Adopted passionately by such dialectical materialists as Marx and Engels, this idea found its way into the twentieth century.
This idea has always been compatible with atheism, for accepting that the universe had a beginning would mean that God had created it. Thus the only way to counter this idea was to claim that the universe was eternal, even though science did not support such a claim. Georges Politzer (1903-42), a dogged proponent of this claim, became widely known as a supporter of materialism and Marxism in the first half of the twentieth century through his book Principes Fondamentaux de Philosophie (The Fundamental Principles of Philosophy). Assuming the "eternal universe" model to be valid, he opposed the idea of creation:
The universe was not a created object. If it were, then it would have to be created instantaneously by God and brought into existence from nothing. To admit creation, one has to admit, in the first place, the existence of a moment when the universe did not exist, and that something came out of nothingness. This is something to which science cannot accede.4
In the picture above we see Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1820-95) at an 1847 meeting in London defending their atheist views.
By supporting the idea of an eternal universe, Politzer thought that science was on his side. However, very soon thereafter, the fact that he had alluded to by saying "if it is so, we must accept the existence of a creator," that is, that the universe had a beginning, was proven. This proof came as a result of the "Big Bang" theory, perhaps the most important concept of twentieth-century astronomy.
The Big Bang theory was formulated after a series of discoveries. In 1929, the American astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) noticed that the galaxies were continually moving away from each other and that the universe was expanding. If the flow of time in an expanding universe were reversed, the whole universe must have come from a single point. While assessing the validity of Hubble's discovery, astronomers were faced with the fact that this single point was a "metaphysical" state of reality in which there was an infinite gravitational attraction with no mass. Matter and time came into being through the explosion of this mass-less point. In other words, the universe was created from nothing.
On the one hand, some die-hard materialist astronomers have tried to resist the Big Bang theory and maintain the idea of an eternal universe. Arthur Eddington (1882-1944), a renowned materialist physicist, summed up their view quite well when he said: "Philosophically, the notion of an abrupt beginning to the present order of Nature is repugnant to me."5 Despite this repugnance, however, the Big Bang theory continues to be corroborated by concrete scientific discoveries. In their observations made in the 1960s, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson detected radioactive remains of the explosion (cosmic background radiation). These observations were verified in the 1990s by the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite.
The materialists' claim that the "universe is eternal" was disproved by Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) discovery that the universe began from one point as the result of a great explosion.
Confronted with all of these facts, atheists have been squeezed into a corner. Anthony Flew, an atheist professor of philosophy at the University of Reading and author of Atheistic Humanism, makes this interesting confession:
Notoriously, confession is good for the soul. I will therefore begin by confessing that the Stratonician atheist has to be embarrassed by the contemporary cosmological consensus. For it seems that the cosmologists are providing a scientific proof of what St. Thomas contended could not be proved philosophically; namely, that the universe had a beginning. So long as the universe can be comfortably thought of as being not only without end but also without beginning, it remains easy to urge that its brute existence, and whatever are found to be its most fundamental features, should be accepted as the explanatory ultimates. Although I believe that it remains still correct, it certainly is neither easy nor comfortable to maintain this position in the face of the Big Bang story.6
An example of the atheists' reaction to the Big Bang theory is seen in a 1989 article by John Maddox, editor of Nature, one of the best-known materialist-scientific journals. In his article, entitled "Down with the Big Bang," Maddox wrote that the Big Bang is "philosophically unacceptable," because "creationists and those of similar persuasions … have ample justification in the doctrine of the Big Bang." He also predicted that it "is unlikely to survive the decade ahead."7
However, despite Maddox' hopes, the Big Bang theory continues to gain credence, and new discoveries continue to prove that the universe was created.
Some materialists have a relatively logical view of this issue. For example, the English materialist physicist H. P. Lipton "unwillingly" accepts the scientific fact of creation. He writes:
I think … that we must … admit that the only acceptable explanation is creation. I know that this is anathema to physicists, as indeed it is to me, but we must not reject a theory that we do not like if the experimental evidence supports it.8
Thus, modern astronomy proves and states that time and matter were brought into being by an eternally powerful Creator, Who is independent of both of them. The eternal power that created the universe in which we live is God, the possessor of infinite might, knowledge, and wisdom.
Physics and Astronomy: The Collapse of the Idea of A Random Universe and the Discovery of the Anthropic Principle
A second atheist dogma rendered invalid by twentieth-century discoveries in astronomy is the idea of a random universe. The view that all matter in the universe, the heavenly bodies, and the laws that determine the relationships among them is no more than the purposeless result of chance has been undermined dramatically.
For the first time since the 1970s, scientists have begun to recognize that the universe's physical balance is adjusted delicately in favor of human life. Advances in research have enabled scientists to discover that the universe's physical, chemical, and biological laws, as well as such basic forces as gravity and electro-magnetism and even the very structures of atoms and elements, are all ordered exactly as they have to be for human life. Western scientists have called this extraordinary design the "anthropic principle": Every aspect of the universe is designed with a view to human life.
We may summarize its basic characteristics as follows:
The speed of the universe's first expansion (the force of the Big Bang explosion) was exactly the velocity that it had to be. According to scientists' calculations, if the expansion rate had differed from its actual value by more than one part in a billion billion, the universe either would have recollapsed before reaching its present size or splattered in every direction in a manner that it could never be reunited. In other words, even at the first moment of its existence there was a fine calculation of the accuracy of a billion billionth.
In his book, The Symbiotic Universe, George Greenstein gives examples of the flawless design in the universe.
The universe's four physical forces (i.e., gravitational force, weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force, and electromagnetic force) are all at the necessary levels for an ordered universe to emerge and for life to exist. Even the tiniest variations in these forces (e.g., one in 1039 or one in 1028; that is—crudely calculated—one in a billion billion billion billion), the universe either would be composed only of radiation or of hydrogen.
Many other delicate adjustments make Earth ideal for human life: the size of the Sun, its distance from Earth, water's unique physical and chemical properties, the wavelength of the sun's rays, the way that Earth's atmosphere contains the gases necessary for respiration, and Earth's magnetic field being ideally suited to human life. (For more information on this topic, see Harun Yahya's The Creation of the Universe,Al-Attique Publishers: 2001)
This delicate balance is among the most striking discoveries of modern astrophysics. Paul Davies, the well-known astronomer, writes in the last paragraph of his The Cosmic Blueprint: "The impression of Design is overwhelming."9
In an article in the journal Nature, the astrophysicist W. Press writes that "there is a grand design in the Universe that favors the development of intelligent life."10
Interestingly, the majority of the scientists who have made these discoveries were materialists who came to this conclusion unwillingly. They did not undertake their scientific investigations hoping to find a proof for God's Existence. But most, if not all, of them, despite their unwillingness, arrived at this conclusion as the only explanation for the universe's extraordinary design.
In his The Symbiotic Universe, the American astronomer George Greenstein acknowledges this fact:
How could this possibly have come to pass [that the laws of physics conform themselves to life]? … As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency—or, rather Agency—must be involved. Is it possible that suddenly, without intending to, we have stumbled upon scientific proof of the existence of a Supreme Being? Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted the cosmos for our benefit?11
The renowned molecular biologist Michael Denton and his book Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe.
By beginning his question with "Is it possible," Greenstein, an atheist, tries to ignore the plain fact confronting him. But many scientists who have approached the question without prejudice acknowledge that the universe has been created especially for human life.
Materialism is now being viewed as an erroneous belief outside the realm of science. The American geneticist Robert Griffiths acknowledges this when he says: "If we need an atheist for a debate, I go to the philosophy department. The physics department isn't much use."12
In Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe, which examines how physical, chemical, and biological laws are amazingly calculated in an ‘‘ideal'' way with a view to human life's requirements, well-known molecular biologist Michael Denton writes:
The new picture that has emerged in twentieth-century astronomy presents a dramatic challenge to the presumption which has been prevalent within scientific circles during most of the past four centuries: that life is a peripheral and purely contingent phenomenon in the cosmic scheme.13
In short, the idea of a random universe, perhaps atheism's most basic pillar, has been proved invalid. Scientists now openly speak of materialism's collapse.14 God reveals the falsity of this idea in the Qur'an: "We did not create heaven and Earth and everything between them to no purpose. That is the opinion of those who disbelieve…" (Qur'an, 38: 27), and science confirmed that truth in the 1970s.
Quantum Physics and the Discovery of Divine Wisdom
One area of science that shatters the materialist myth and gives positive evidence for theism is quantum physics.
Quantum physics deals with matter's tiniest particles, also called the "sub-atomic realm." In school, everyone learns that matter is composed of atoms. Atoms are made up of a nucleus and several electrons spinning around it. One strange fact is that all of these particles take up only some 0.0001 percent of the atoms. In other words, an atom is something that is 99.9999 percent "empty."
Even more interestingly, further examination shows that the nuclei and electrons are made up of much smaller particles called "quarks," which are not even particles in the physical sense; rather, they are simply energy. This discovery broke the classical distinction between matter and energy. It now appears that only energy exists in the material universe, and that matter is just "frozen energy."
There is a still more intriguing fact: Quarks, those packets of energy, act in such a way that they may be described as "conscious." Physicist Freeman Dyson, when accepting the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion (2000), stated that:
Atoms are weird stuff, behaving like active agents rather than inert substances. They make unpredictable choices between alternative possibilities according to the laws of quantum mechanics. It appears that mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent inherent in every atom.15
In other words, there is information behind matter, information that precedes the material realm. Gerald Schroeder, an MIT-trained scientist who has worked in both physics and biology and authored The Science of God, makes a number of important comments on this subject. In his more recent book, The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth, Schroeder explains that quantum physics—along with other branches of science—is the tool for discovering a universal wisdom lying behind the material world. As he puts it:
It took humanity millennia before an Einstein discovered that, as bizarre as it may seem, the basis of matter is energy, that matter is actually condensed energy. It may take a while longer for us to discover that there is some non-thing even more fundamental than energy that forms the basis of energy, which in turn forms the basis of matter.16
John Archibald Wheeler, professor of physics at Princeton University and recipient of the Einstein Award (2003), explained the same fact when he said that the "bit" (the binary digit) of information gives rise to the "it," the substance of matter.17 According to Schroeder, this has a "profound meaning":
The matter/energy relationships, the quantum wave functions, have profound meaning. Science may be approaching the realization that the entire universe is an expression of information, wisdom, an idea, just as atoms are tangible expressions of something as ethereal as energy.18
This wisdom is such an omniscient thing that it covers the whole universe:
A single consciousness, a universal wisdom, pervades the universe. The discoveries of science, those that search the quantum nature of subatomic matter, have moved us to the brink of a startling realization: all existence is the expression of this wisdom. In the laboratories we experience it as information that first physically articulated as energy and then condensed into the form of matter. Every particle, every being, from atom to human, appears to represent a level of information, of wisdom.19
This means that the material universe is not a purposeless and chaotic heap of atoms, as the atheist/materialist dogma assumes, but instead is a manifestation of a wisdom that existed before the universe and that has absolute sovereignty over everything that exists. In Schroeder's words, it is "as if a metaphysical substrate was impressed upon the physical."20
This discovery shatters the whole materialist myth and reveals that the visible material universe is just a shadow of a transcendent Absolute Being. Thus, as Schroeder explains, quantum physics has become the point at which science and theology meet:
The age-old theological view of the universe is that all existence is the manifestation of a transcendent wisdom, with a universal consciousness being its manifestation. If I substitute the word information for wisdom, theology begins to sound like quantum physics. We may be witnessing the scientific confluence of the physical with the spiritual.21
Quantum is really the point at which science and theology meet. The fact that the whole universe is pervaded by a wisdom was revealed in the Qur'an 14 centuries ago. One verse reads:
Your god is God alone, there is no god but Him. He encompasses all things in His knowledge. (Qur'an, 20:98)
The Natural Sciences: The Collapse of Darwinism and the Victory of "Intelligent Design"
As stated earlier, one of the main supports for atheism's rise to its zenith in the nineteenth century was Darwin's theory of evolution. By asserting that the origin of human beings and all other living things lay in unconscious natural mechanisms, Darwinism gave atheists the scientific guise they had been seeking for centuries. That time's most passionate atheists adopted his theory, and such atheist thinkers as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels made its elucidation the basis of their philosophy. The relationship between Darwinism and atheism born at that point in time has continued until our own time.
But, at the same time, this core belief of atheism is the very one that has received the greatest blow from twentieth-century science. Discoveries in paleontology, biochemistry, anatomy, genetics, and other scientific fields have shattered the theory of evolution (See Harun Yahya's Darwinism Refuted). We have dealt with this fact in far more detail elsewhere. However, in short, we can say the following:
All of the fossil research conducted during the twentieth century proves that there is no gradual evolution between species. The fact that many different groups of living things appeared suddenly in the Cambrian Explosion is convincing proof that they were created.
Paleontology: Darwin's theory rests on the assumptions that all species come from a single common ancestor and that they diverged from one another over a long period of time by means of small gradual changes. Supposedly, the required proofs will be discovered in the fossil record or the petrified remains of living things. But fossil research conducted during the twentieth century presents a totally different picture, for no fossil of a single undoubted intermediate species, one that would substantiate this theory of gradual evolution among species, has been found. Moreover, every taxon [an animal or plant group having natural relations] appears suddenly in the fossil record, and no trace has ever been found of any previous ancestors. The phenomenon known as the Cambrian Explosion, which scientists classify as a period of time that occurred 540 to 490 million years ago, is especially interesting. In that early geological period, nearly all of the animal kingdom's phyla (major groups with significantly different body structures) appeared suddenly. The sudden emergence of many different categories of living things with totally different body structures and extremely complex organs and systems (e.g., mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, and, as recently discovered, even vertebrates) rendered the theory of evolution invalid and proved creation, for as evolutionists also agree, a taxon's sudden emergence implies purposeful design, and this means creation.
Biological Observations: Darwin elaborated on his theory by relying upon examples of how animal breeders produced different dog or horse varieties. He extrapolated the limited changes he observed to the whole natural world, and proposed that every living thing could have come from a common ancestor. But Darwin made this claim in the nineteenth century, when the level of scientific sophistication was low. In the twentieth century, things changed greatly. Decades of observation and experimentation on various animal species have shown that variation in living things has never gone beyond a certain genetic boundary. Darwin's assertions, like: "I can see no difficulty in a race of bears being rendered, by natural selection, more and more aquatic in their habits, with larger and larger mouths, till a creature was produced as monstrous as a whale"22 actually demonstrates his great ignorance. On the other hand, observations and experiments show that mutations defined by Neo-Darwinism as an evolutionary mechanism add no new genetic information to living creatures.
The Origin of Life: Darwin spoke about a common ancestor, but never mentioned how this person came to be. His only conjecture was that the first cell could have formed as a result of random chemical reactions "in some small warm little pond."23 But those evolutionary biochemists who sought to close this hole in Darwinism were frustrated by the fact that all of their observations and experiments showed that no living cell could arise within inanimate matter by means of random chemical reactions. Even the English atheist astronomer Fred Hoyle expressed that such a scenario "is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein."24
Intelligent Design: Scientists who study cells and their molecules, along with the cells' remarkable organization within the body, and the bodily organs' delicate order and plan are faced with proof that evolutionists strongly wish to reject: The world of living things is permeated by designs too complex to be found in any technological equipment. Intricate examples of design, including our eyes that are far superior to any camera, the wings of birds that have inspired flight technology, the complexly integrated system of the cells of living things, and the remarkable information stored in DNA have vitiated the theory of evolution, which regards living things as the product of blind chance.
By the end of the twentieth century, all of these facts had squeezed Darwinism into a corner. Today, in the United States and other Western countries, the theory of intelligent design is gaining ever-increasing acceptance among scientists. Those who defend it say that Darwinism has been a great error in the history of science, and that it came to be so by imposing materialist philosophy on the scientific paradigm. Scientific discoveries show that there is a design in living things, which proves creation. In short, science proves once more that God created all living things.
Psychology: The Collapse of Freudianism and the Acceptance of Faith
Sigmund Freud, an avowed atheist, regarded religious faith as a kind of mental illness. This unscientific claim was disproved by the developing science of psychology itself.
The representative of nineteenth-century atheism in psychology was the Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). He proposed a psychological theory that rejected the soul's existence and tried to explain humanity's whole spiritual world in terms of sexual and similar hedonistic motivations. But Freud's greatest assault was against religion. In his The Future of an Illusion, originally published in 1927, Freud proposed that religious faith was a kind of mental illness (neurosis) that would disappear completely as humanity progressed. Due to the primitive scientific conditions of the time, his theory was proposed without either the requisite research and investigation or any scholarly literature or possibility of comparison. Therefore, its claims were extremely deficient.
After Freud, psychology developed on an atheist foundation. Moreover, the founders of other schools of psychology were passionate atheists. Two of these were B. F. Skinner (1904-90), founder of the behaviorist school, and Albert Ellis (1913- ), founder of rational-emotive therapy. The world of psychology gradually became the forum for atheism. A 1972 poll among the members of the American Psychological Association revealed that only 1.1 percent of psychologists in the country had any religious beliefs.25
But most psychologists who fell into this great deception were undone by their own psychological investigations. The basic suppositions of Freudianism were shown to have almost no scientific support. Moreover, religion was shown not to be a mental illness, as Freud and some other psychological theorists declared, but rather a basic element of mental health. Patrick Glynn summarizes these important developments:
Yet the last quarter of the twentieth century has not been kind to the psychoanalytic vision. Most significant has been the exposure of Freud's views of religion as entirely fallacious. Ironically enough, scientific research in psychology over the past twenty-five years has demonstrated that, far from being a neurosis or source of neuroses as Freud and his disciples claimed, religious belief is one of the most consistent correlates of overall mental health and happiness. Study after study has shown a powerful relationship between religious belief and practice, on the one hand, and healthy behaviors with regard to such problems as suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, depression, even, perhaps surprisingly, levels of sexual satisfaction in marriage, on the other. In short, the empirical data run exactly contrary to the supposedly "scientific" consensus of the psychotherapeutic profession.26
Finally, as Glynn says, "modern psychology at the close of the twentieth century seems to be reacquainting itself with religion,"27 and "a purely secular view of human mental life has been shown to fail not just at the theoretical, but also at the practical, level."28
In other words, psychology also has routed atheism.
Medicine: The Discovery of How "Hearts Find Peace"
Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Faculty of Medicine
Another branch of science affected by the collapse of atheist suppositions was medicine.
According to results compiled by David B. Larson and his team at the National Institute for Healthcare Research, a comparison among Americans in relation to their observance of religious duties yielded very interesting results. The risk of arteriosclerotic heart disease for men who attended church frequently was just 60 percent of that for men who were infrequent church attendees; among women, suicide was twice as high among infrequent as among frequent church attenders; smokers who ranked religion as very important in their lives were over seven times less likely to have normal diastolic pressure readings than were those who did not.29
Secular psychologists generally explain such phenomena as having a psychological cause. In this sense, faith raises a person's morale and contributes to his or her well-being. There may be some truth in this explanation, but if we look more closely, we see something much more dramatic: Belief in God is far stronger than any other influence on one's morale. In comprehensive research on the relationship between religious belief and physical health, Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School came up with some interesting results. Although he has no religious faith, Benson concluded that faith in God and worship had a far more positive effect on human health than could be observed in anything else. Benson concludes that he has "found that faith quiets the mind like no other form of belief."30
Why is there such a special relation among faith, the human spirit, and the body? Benson, a secular researcher, stated that the human mind and body are "wired for God."31
This fact, which the medical world is slowly beginning to notice, is a secret revealed in the Qur'an:"Only in the remembrance of God can the heart find peace." (Qur'an, 13:28) The reason why those who believe in God, pray to Him and trust in Him are physically and mentally healthier than others is that they behave in harmony with their nature. Philosophical systems opposed to human nature always bring pain, sorrow, anxiety, and depression in their wake.
The basic source of religious people's peace is that they act in order to gain God's approval. In other words, this peace is the natural result of listening to the voice of one's conscience. People who live the morality of religion simply "to be more at peace" or "to be healthier" cannot live according to the morality of religion; those who act with this intention cannot find peace in its true sense. God well knows what people store in their hearts and what they reveal. Peace of mind comes only by being sincere and attempting to gain God's approval. God commands:
So set your face firmly toward the [true] religion, as a pure natural believer, God's natural pattern on which He made mankind. There is no changing God's creation. That is the true religion—but most people do not know it. (Qur'an, 30:30)
In light of these discoveries, modern medicine is starting to become aware of this truth. As Patrick Glynn says, "contemporary medicine is clearly moving in the direction of acknowledging dimensions of healing beyond the purely material."32 Society: The Fall of Communism, Fascism, and the Hippie Dream
The collapse of atheism did not occur only in astrophysics, biology, psychology, and medicine; it also happened in politics and social morality.
The collapse of communism may be considered one of the most important examples of this. Communism may be considered the most important political result of nineteenth-century atheism. The founders of this ideology, Marx, Engels, Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), or Mao Zedong (1893-1976), all adopted atheism as a basic principle. A primary goal of all communist regimes was to produce atheistic societies and destroy religious belief. Stalin's Soviet Union, Mao's Communist China, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Albania, and some Eastern bloc countries applied immense pressure on Muslims and other religious people, sometimes to the point of committing mass murder.
Mihail Gorbachev (1931- ), former president of the Soviet Union
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is regarded as the father of fascism
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is regarded as the father of fascism
Yet, amazingly, at the end of the 1980s, this bloody atheist system collapsed. When we examine the reasons for this dramatic fall, we see that what collapsed was actually atheism. Patrick Glynn writes:
To be sure, secular historians would say that the greatest mistake of Communism was to attempt to defy the laws of economics. But other laws, too, came into play … Moreover, as historians penetrate the circumstances of the Communist collapse, it is becoming clearer that the Soviet elite was itself in the throes of an atheistic "crisis of faith." Having lived under an atheistic ideology—one that consisted of lies and that was based on a "Big Lie"— the Soviet system suffered a radical demoralization, in every sense of that term. People, including the ruling elite, lost all sense of morality and all sense of hope.33
James Joll, Europe Since 1870.
An interesting indication of the Soviet system's great "crisis of faith" was President Mikhail Gorbachev's (1931- ) attempted reforms. Ever since he became general secretary of the communist party (1985-91) and assumed the Soviet presidency in 1990, Gorbachev was interested in moral problems as well as economic reforms. For example, one of the first things he did was to initiate a campaign against alcoholism. In order to raise Soviet society's morale, for a long time he used Marxist-Leninist terminology. But seeing that this was of no use, he even began to mention God in some of his speeches, although he was an atheist. Naturally, these insincere words of faith were of no use, and the crisis of faith in Soviet society continued to worsen. Finally, the gigantic Soviet empire collapsed in 1991.
Below: The original copy of the American Declaration of Independence and the meeting at which it was decided to proclaim it.
The twentieth century documented not only the fall of communism, but also that of fascism, another fruit of nineteenth-century anti-religious philosophy. Fascism is the outcome of a philosophy that may be called a mixture of atheism and paganism, and is intensely hostile to theist religions. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), who may be called the father of fascism, extolled the morality of barbarous idolatrous societies, attacked Christianity and other monotheistic religions, and even called himself the "Anti-Christ." His disciple, Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), was an avid Nazi supporter, and the ideas of these two atheist thinkers gave impetus to the terrifying savagery of Nazi Germany. The Second World War, which caused the death of 55 million people, is another example of the calamity that such atheist ideologies as fascism and communism have brought upon humanity.
At this point, we must recall Social Darwinism, another atheist ideology that helped cause both world wars. In his Europe Since 1870, Harvard history professor James Joll states that behind each of the two world wars lay the philosophical views of Social Darwinist European leaders who believed in the myth that war was a biological necessity and that nations developed through conflict.34
Another social consequence of atheism appeared in Western democracies. In the present day, there is a tendency to regard the West as the "Christian world." However, since the nineteenth century, a quickly growing atheist culture has held sway with Christian culture, and today there is a conflict between them in what we call Western civilization. And this atheist element was the true cause of Western imperialism, moral degeneration, despotism, and other negative manifestations.
On of the most striking examples of the destruction wreaked on social life by atheist ideology is the spiritual collapse suffered by the so-called "generation of '68."
In his God: The Evidence, American writer Patrick Glynn draws attention to this matter and, in order to compare the God-fearing and atheist elements in the West, takes the examples of the American and the French revolutions. The American revolution was realized by people who believed in God. The American Declaration of Independence states that all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." Since the French revolution was the work of atheists, the French Declaration of Human Rights was different, with no reference to God and full of atheist and neo-pagan notions.
The actual results of the two revolutions were quite different: In the American model, a relatively more peaceful, tolerant environment was created, one that respected religion and religious belief; in France, the fierce hostility to religion drowned the country in blood and unleashed a savagery that had no equal in French history up until that time. As Glynn says, "there is an interesting historical correlation between atheism, on the one hand, and moral and political catastrophe, on the other hand."35
Glynn notes that attempts to turn America into an atheist country also have harmed society. The fact that the sexual revolution, for example, that spread during the 1960s and 1970s caused immense social damage in terms of traditional moral values is accepted even by secular historians.36
The hippie movement was a demonstration of this social damage. Hippies believed that they could find spiritual emancipation through secular humanist philosophy, eastern philosophies, and by such things as unlimited drugs and sex. These young people who poured into the streets with romantic songs—like John Lennon's Imagine, released in 1971 and in which he spoke of a world "with no countries, and no religion too"—were actually undergoing a mass deception.
In fact, a world without religion actually brought them to an unhappy end. The hippy leaders of the 1960s either killed themselves or died from drug-induced comas in the early 1970s. Many other young hippies shared a similar fate.
Members of the same generation who turned to violence found themselves on the receiving end of violence. The 1968 generation, which turned its back on God and religion and imagined they could find salvation in such concepts as revolution or selfish Epicureanism, ruined both themselves and their own societies.
The Movement Toward Religious Morality
The facts given above clearly show that atheism is undergoing an inevitable collapse. In other words, humanity is—and will be—turning toward God, and not only in the scientific and political communities. From prominent statesmen to movie stars and pop artists, those who influence opinion in the West are far more religious than they used to be. Many people have seen the truth and come to believe in God after having lived for years as atheists. (Patrick Glynn, from whose book we have quoted, is one of these ex-atheists.)
Interestingly, the developments contributing to this result also began in the second half of the 1970s. The anthropic principle first appeared in the 1970s, and scientific criticism of Darwinism started to be loudly voiced at the same time. The turning point against Freud's atheist dogma was M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled. For this reason, Glynn, in the 1997 edition of his book, writes that "over the past twenty years, a significant body of evidence has emerged, shattering the foundations of the long-dominant modern secular worldview."37
Surely, the fact that the atheist worldview has been shaken means that another worldview is rising, which is belief in God. Since the end of the 1970s (or, from the beginning of the fourteenth century according to the Muslim calendar), the world has seen a rise in religious values. Like other social processes, because this develops over a long period of time instead of all at once, a majority of people may not notice it. However, those who evaluate the development a little more carefully see that the world is at a major turning point in the realm of ideas.
Secular historians try to explain this process according to their own principles. However, given that they are in deep error with regard to God's Existence, they also are greatly mistaken about the course of history. In fact, as the following verse reveals, history moves as God has determined: "You will not find any changing in the pattern of God. You will not find any alteration in the pattern of God."(Qur'an, 35: 43) It follows, then, that history has a purpose and unfolds as God has commanded. And God's command is to perfect His light:
They desire to extinguish God's Light with their mouths. But God refuses to do other than perfect His Light, even though the unbelievers detest it. (Qur'an, 9: 32)
In other words, God has sent His light to humanity through the religion that He has revealed: Islam. Those who do not believe want to extinguish this light by their "mouths"— intimations, propaganda, and philosophies, but God will finally perfect His light and give dominion to religious values.
Conclusion
We are living at an important time. Atheism, which people have tried for hundreds of years to portray as the "way of reason and science," is proving to be mere irrationality and ignorance. Materialist philosophy, which sought to use science for its own ends, has been defeated by science. A world rescuing itself from atheism will turn to God and religion. But, to what religion will it turn? With God's permission, that religion will be Islam. As we will see in subsequent chapters, this process began long ago.
Clearly, Muslims have important duties in this period. They must be aware of this major change in the world's way of thinking, interpret it, make good use of the chances and opportunities provided by globalization, and effectively represent the truth along this road. They must know that the basic conflict of ideas is between atheism and faith. It is not a struggle between East and West, for both of these contain believers and atheists. For this reason, faithful Christians and faithful Jews are allies of Muslims. The main divergence is not between Muslims and the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), but between Muslims and the People of the Book on the one hand, and atheists and pagans on the other. Of course we must not show hostility to such people; rather, we must view them as people who need to be rescued from their error.
The time is fast approaching when many people who are living in ignorance with no knowledge of religious morality will be graced by faith in the impending post-atheist world.
The Rapid Spread of Islam in America
In the previous chapter, we related that people were beginning to reject atheism and turn toward religion, and asked for what religion they were searching. The growing number of people turning to Islam in the last few years shows that the true answer to this question is starting to be discovered. Every day, interest in Islam is increasing throughout the world, and many people are converting after reading the Qur'an and studying the Prophet Muhammad's life. In addition, there are people who may have not started to practice Islam yet but who are very influenced by the Qur'an's moral teachings and say that the best way of life for human beings is the one described in the Qur'an.
Thirty or forty years ago, the great majority of people knew almost nothing about Islam; now, Islam has become the most talked about, written about, and researched religion in the world, as well as the religion about which the most programs have been prepared. Of course, this state of affairs has contributed to society's learning about Islam. On the one hand, those involved in such activities have expanded their knowledge about Islam; on the other hand, those to whom this information is directed may have taken the opportunity for the first time in their lives to gain knowledge about Islam. So, it is from the lack of information or wrong information that people who have had little contact with Islam are coming to this religion in droves.
This movement is quite noticeable in the United States, a country founded on religious values. When Americans speak about their country, one of the things they stress is that people from every religious background are free to live together in peace and security. This situation has given Muslims immigrants a place to practice their religion freely and to talk about their faith. As a result, the number of Muslims increases daily. In spite of this, for years Muslims have remained small in numbers and economically and politically weak.
But over the past 10 years, these economic, social, and political difficulties have begun to disappear. In some states, existing mosques are filled to overflowing and new ones have been built. Hundreds of Islamic schools, both full-time and weekend, have opened and have had to expand to meet enrollment figures. Many companies have begun to set aside rooms for their Muslim employees, many banks have begun to open departments that operate according to Islamic law, and many state institutions have begun to hire Muslims for high-level positions.
With 7 million Muslims living in America, Islam has become the country's third largest religion. It is estimated that within the next 10 years, there will be more Muslims than Jews in America.
A recent issue of Christianity Today, one of America's best-known magazines, contained an article entitled "Are Christians Prepared for Muslims in the Mainstream?" It gives this account of Islam's rise in America:
Islam could be the second-largest religion in America by 2015, surpassing Judaism, according to some estimates. By other estimates, Islam has achieved that rank already.Muslims moving to the West are changing the cultural and religious landscape. A hospital in Detroit offers Muslim patients copies of the Qur'an; Denver International Airport includes a chapel for Muslim prayers; the U.S. Senate has invited a Muslim cleric to open its session in prayer; the military has hired four Muslim chaplains; the White House sends greetings (like its Christmas cards) on Id al-Fitr, the feast that ends Ramadan; the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington D.C. sends 100 Qur'ans a month to prisons while imams (spiritual leaders) send volunteers to teach Arabic. "On Capitol Hill … weekly Muslim prayer services and forums to expose congressional staffers to Muslim viewpoints have become regular fare," notes Ira Rifkin of Religion News Service (Nov. 30, 1999), "and a bill has been introduced in Congress to issue a postage stamp commemorating Ramadan."38
These striking developments have attracted the interest of many sociologists. One of the most important names associated with this issue is Professor Dianne Eck, known for coining the name "Pluralism Project" for an enterprise in interfaith dialogue. In her book, A New Religious America, she gives an account of what she has determined about Islam's rapid rise:
As Muslims become more numerous and visible in American society, public officials have begun to shift from speaking of "churches and synagogues" to "churches, synagogues, and mosques." The annual observance of the Ramadan month of Muslim fasting now receives public notice and becomes the occasion for portraits of the Muslims next door in the Dallas Morning News or theMinneapolis Star Tribune. The fast-breaking meals called "iftar" at the close of each day have become moments of recognition. In the late 1990s there were iftar observances by Muslim staffers on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and in the State Department. In 1996 the White House hosted the first observance of the celebration of Eid al-Fitr at the end of the month of Ramadan, a practice that has continued. The same year also saw the U.S. Navy commission its first Muslim chaplain, Lieutenant M. Malak Abd al-Muta' Ali Noel, and in 1998 the U.S. Navy's first mosque was opened on the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, where Lieutenant Noel was stationed. When 50 sailors attend Friday prayers at this facility, they signal to all of us a new era of American religious life.39
Professor Diana Eck, who has done important work with The Pluralism Project and in the field of interfaith dialogue, has attracted attention with her book A New Religious America.
(the right)The Internet site of the Project.
(the right)The Internet site of the Project.
Eck considers these developments a sign of the beginning of a new age, one in which Islam will spread quickly, not only throughout America but throughout the world.
Developments After 9/11
American interest in Islam reached its pinnacle in the last quarter of 2001. The most important reason for this was the 9/11 attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Several studies undertaken to determine the roots of terrorist ideology, as well as investigations of Islam, have enabled people to learn that Islam is a peaceful religion that enjoins tolerance, justice, mercy, and love. Islam has suddenly become a major topic of discussion all over the world. More and more world-renowned statesmen, political scientists, researchers, and thinkers consider it necessary to understand Islam correctly, and have given speeches underlining Islamic tolerance and willingness to reach agreement. Americans have approached Muslim organizations in order to find the most accurate information about Islam and Islamic history. As a result of this interest, the Middle East Media Research Institute reported that after 9/11, 34,000 Americans converted to Islam.40
The Egyptian weekly al-Ahram al-Arabi published a letter by Dr. Walid A. Fatihi of the Harvard Medical Faculty. In it, he stated that when he first heard of the attack, he thought that the work he had done to introduce Islam to America would be set back by 50 years. However, he soon realized how wrong he was. He continues:
On Saturday, September 15, I went with my wife and children to the biggest church in Boston, [Trinity Church in] Copley Square, by official invitation of the Islamic Society of Boston, to represent Islam by special invitation of the senators of Boston. Present were the mayor of Boston, his wife, and the heads of the universities. There were more than 1,000 people there ...
I read an official statement issued by the leading Muslim clerics condemning the incident [i.e., the attacks]. The statement explained Islam's stance and principles, and its sublime precepts. Afterwards, I read Koranic verses translated into English…
One said to me: "I do not understand the Arabic language, but there is no doubt that the things you said are the words of Allah."
On Sunday, September 16, the Islamic Society of Boston issued an open invitation to the Islamic Center in Cambridge, located between Harvard and MIT. We did not expect more than 100 people, but to our surprise more than 1,000 people came, among them the neighbors, the university lecturers, members of the clergy, and even the leaders of the priests from the nearby churches, who invited us to speak on Islam. All expressed solidarity with Muslims. Many questions flowed to us. Everyone wanted to know about Islam and to understand its precepts…
That same day, I was invited again to participate in a meeting in the church, and again I saw the same things. On Thursday, a delegation of 300 students and lecturers from Harvard visited the center of the Islamic Society of Boston, accompanied by the American Ambassador to Vienna. They sat on the floor of the mosque, which was filled to capacity. We explained to them the precepts of Islam, and defended it from any suspicions [promulgated in the media]. I again read to them from the verses of Allah, and [their] eyes filled with tears. The audience was moved, and many asked to participate in the weekly lessons for non-Muslims held by the Islamic Center…
On Friday, September 21, the Muslims participated in a closed meeting with the governor of Massachusetts. In the meeting, a discussion was held on introducing Islam into the school curriculum, to inform the [American] people and to fight racism against Muslims arising from the American people's ignorance regarding the religion …
These are only some of the examples of what happened and is happening in the city of Boston, and in many other American cities, during these days. Proselytizing in the name of Allah has not been undermined, and has not been set back 50 years, as we thought in the first days after September 11. On the contrary, the 11 days that have passed are like 11 years in the history of proselytizing in the name of Allah. I write to you today with the absolute confidence that over the next few years, Islam will spread in America and in the entire world, Allah willing, much more quickly than it has spread in the past, because the entire world is asking, "What is Islam!"41
On a television program broadcast one week after 9/11, Eck related what that event had changed:
And yet most of us don't really see it [positive changes]. I think one of the real gifts, if we could call it that, of the last week has been the recognition that we are religiously diverse in ways we had never imagined…42
This increased interest in Islam caught the American press' attention, and the issue became a topic on television news programs. One newspaper that took up this issue was The Los Angeles Times. An article entitled "Expressions of Support Surprising to Muslims" reported that one of the most unexpected results was that Americans had begun to study and investigate Islam, and that this interest was so intense that it even surprised Muslims:
Many Americans also are investigating, some for the first time, one of the world's great faiths and oldest civilizations. Bookstores are selling out of copies of the Koran. University classes and teach-ins on the Middle East and Islam are filled to capacity. Middle East scholars are being invited on television news shows repeatedly and being spotted on the street like celebrities. And many everyday Middle Easterners—Muslim or not—are fielding a daily barrage of questions about Islam from neighbors, co-workers and strangers… "We are overwhelmed," said Mahmoud Abdel-Baset, religious director of the Islamic Center of Southern California. Since the attacks, the Los Angeles-based center has hosted a steady stream of dignitaries, including Gov. Gray Davis, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn... Richard Hrair Dekmejian, a USC professor on Middle Eastern politics, said this thirst for knowledge about Islam is a result of the powerful impact of the Sept. 11 attacks and the general lack of religious knowledge in America.43
In America today, the interest begun with 9/11 continues to intensify and become more widespread. In the following pages, we will see the rise of Islam in America. As we look at all of these developments, we must keep in mind one basic fact: God has given the good news of His promise to believers that true religion will be established among human beings. The events we have experienced show us that, God willing, the fulfillment of this promise is very near. For this reason, we are living in a crucial period and a time of profound change. Believers must realize the value of this period, offer the best and most accurate information to those who are slowly turning to Islam, answer their questions in the most satisfactory way, and be zealous representatives of Islam. As the verse below says, this is an important charge given by God to believers:
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the kindest way. Your Lord knows best who is misguided from His way. And He knows best who are guided. (Qur'an, 16: 125)
Muslims in America
There are between 6 and 7 million Muslims in America today. In other words, Muslims outnumber some Christian denominations and are equal to the number of Jews. Research done in the year 2000 by prominent American universities and Islamic foundations show that the number of Muslims is increasing rapidly and that Islam is growing stronger day by day.
The main theme of this research, known as the Mosque Study Project, is the establishment of mosques in America. The reason for this is that mosques occupy a very special place in any statistical compilations done with regard to the American Muslim community. Mosques in America are both houses of worship and gathering places for talking with one another and launching cultural activities to make Islam more widely known. Every mosque establishes a relationship with the press to introduce Islam to a wider audience, speaks with local politicians, visits schools and churches, engages in interfaith dialogue and carries on other such activities. Thus, research done on these mosques is one of the most useful tools for gathering accurate and enlightening information on this community's state.
According to this research, America now has about 1,209 mosques, most of which were constructed very recently. Thirty percent of these mosques were built in the 1990s, and 32% were built in the 1980s. Other statistics show that in 1994, the total number of mosques in America was 962; in 2000, there was a 25% increase in this number.
These data show a natural parallel with the growing number of Muslims. For example, according to determinations made in 1994, the number of Muslims attending mosque services was 500,000; in 2000, this figure had increased to 2 million—an approximately 300% increase. A significant part of this number is composed of people who converted to Islam. The same research shows that about 30% of those worshippers are converts. According to these data, about 20,000 Americans accept Islam every year.44
The above figures are the result of research done before 9/11 and rely on data from the year 2000. In 2001, especially after 9/11, these figures have increased several fold.
This rapid growth of Islam in America is related in a news article, "Islam Is Growing in America," on the American army Internet site (www.defenselink.mil)
Muslims, those who believe in Islam, are everywhere in the United States. They may be your doctor or drive your taxi. They may serve you in restaurants or advise you in law. And they increasingly may be in the same foxhole, manning the same position or working on the same aircraft as you … In the United States, Islam is the fastest growing religion …45
A New York Times article, "Islam Attracts Converts by the Thousands," contains interviews with converts, analyzes Islam's rapid rise in America, and states:
With some 6 million adherents in the United States, Islam is said to be the nation's fastest-growing religion, fueled by immigration, high birth rates and widespread conversion. One expert estimates that 25,000 people a year become Muslims in this country; some clerics say they have seen conversion rates quadruple since Sept. 11.46
An ABC News segment, "Islam: Rising Tide in America," reported that some sociologists predict that within 15 years there will be more Muslims than Jews in America.47
The continually rising influence of Islam has provided better opportunities for Muslims living in America. One place where this growth and development is most noticeable is in Dearborn, Michigan. An article in the Detroit News about the spread of Islam, particularly in Dearborn, mentioned the city's growing number of mosques. But, according to the article, this is not the only sign of Islam's rising influence; the effects of this growth can be seen in restaurants, shopping centers, and hospitals. For the first time in Michigan, in a McDonald's restaurant, meals are available using meat cut according to Islamic law. Prominent supermarkets in Dearborn have begun to sell "halal" meat. Oakwood Hospital officials have started to adjust the hospital's meal service especially for Muslim patients. Moreover, throughout the month of Ramadan, the cafeteria's service hours are arranged to suit Muslims.48
Like Dearborn, Muslims in Chicago are also quickly gaining influence. Here, the Muslim community is distinguished by its high level of education and prosperity. Research conducted in the 1990s demonstrated that 16% of the Muslim community's members were medical doctors, 33% were engineers, 44% had doctorate degrees, 84% had at least a bachelor's degree, and only 2% had less than a high school education. Moreover, Muslims' contributions to Chicago were highlighted. For example, the architect of the John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower was a Muslim: Dr. Fazlur Rahman. There is hardly a hospital without a Muslim doctor on its staff and there is hardly an engineering or electronic equipment manufacturer without Muslim engineers.49
Muslims in the American Army
The famous John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower were constructed by a Muslim architect.
The Muslim presence in the American army is increasing day by day. At the beginning of the 1990s there were 2,500 Muslims in the army; now there are between 15,000 and 20,000 soldiers.50 There are two reasons for this rapid increase: the general increase of the Muslim population in America and that some soldiers who served in Muslim countries converted. Their continual increase has allowed them to perform their religious duties in peace. The first of these was the army's appointment of a Muslim chaplain to minister to Muslim soldiers, an important indication that the Muslims' presence in the army has been officially recognized. Colonel Herman Keizer spoke of this fact in a 1994 speech: "This reflected the growing number of Muslims in the services over the past 10 years. It mirrors growth in the US society … where Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States."51
As a result, the army has made some concessions to make life easier for Muslim soldiers. For example, pork is not included in their meals, they can perform their Friday congregational prayers, and those who wish to make pilgrimage have an easier time of fulfilling this obligation. These concessions were reported in the Washington Post in 1998:
During Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from food and drink during daylight hours, military commanders are urged to accommodate their fasting servicemen and women—excusing them, in some cases, from rigorous physical exercise. The commanders also allow flexible work hours so Muslims can take iftar, the traditional fast-ending meal, and attend the social gatherings and community prayers that usually follow.52
Thus the American armed forces are genuinely interested in Muslims and try to meet their needs when possible. One of the main reasons for this is certainly the religious character of the American people. The belief of many Americans in God has led them to adopt a respectful and tolerant attitude toward Muslims, especially after they have learned about Islamic values. On of the best instances of this can be seen in an address given by the former Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre:
I think that as Muslims and as Christians, we understand what it means to live under a world of authority—the authority that's been revealed to us by God…. We are partners and we are friends and we celebrate with our Islamic brothers and sisters tonight in this feast, and throughout the year. In an America that sometimes is too busy worrying about the latest fad in clothes, or the newest model of car or other material things, it is good to be with people who think in a broader way, who think about their relationship to God, who think about charity, alms giving, as one of the central mandates of life. This is a great thing. You're a great people to be with.53
Islam in the American Media
Today, the media is one of the most influential factors in forming public opinion, for it instills in people either a sympathy for or an aversion to a particular issue and gets them to accept or oppose it. How the media has influenced the American people's view of Islam is a case in point.
Islam and the American Army
Lieutenant Abdullah Al-Mubarak is seen giving an address at the second iftar meal held at the Pentagon.
Until recently, Islam generally had a bad press in certain sectors of the American media, which tried to convince people that Islam was an Arab religion and that negative stereotypes of Arabs were generally true. But this false information and prejudiced view had exactly the opposite effect: Contrary to the expected alienation of public opinion from Islam, it became the fastest growing religion in America. These reports brought Muslims and Islam into the lives of the American people. In this way, many who knew nothing about Islam were informed and began to take an interest in it. This is also a realization of the Qur'anic verse: "It may be that you hate something when it is good for you, and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. God knows and you do not know" (Qur'an, 2: 216)
The media reports that seemed negative at the first look became a means whereby more accurate reports were made that would prevent the dissemination of false information about Islam and present Islam in a better way. The media focused upon Muslims because of the rapid growth of the Muslim population. So, during the 1990s Islam and Muslims became one of the most important topics in the American media.
Nearly all of these reports highlighted accurately the way Muslims think and what they believe, and informed non-Muslims about Islam. They explained the daily lives and worldviews of Muslims, and gave prominence to the views of recent converts. At the same time, these reports often contained special sections on Islamic history, the fundamentals of Islam, and the Qur'an. Internet pages belonging to radio and television stations also presented the addresses of Islamic sites so that people could obtain information more easily.
This process of information accelerated as a result of the public interest after 9/11. Nearly all major newspapers began to ask whether or not terrorism was inherent to Islam and to offer comprehensive reports containing the views of academics, clergy, historians, and social scientists. As a result, the American people once again saw that Islam is a peaceful religion, and learned that their religious beliefs had many things in common with those of the Muslims.
This situation certainly played an important role in the growing interest in Islam. During this time, many people who were largely ignorant of Islam and did not have easy access to accurate information could now educate themselves with relative ease.
The Qur'an Has Become the Best Selling Book in America
The 9/11 tragedy caused the growth of Islam in America to accelerate greatly. One of the clearest indications of this is that after the attacks, the Qur'an became the best-selling book in many states for a long time. American interest in the Qur'an increased to such an extent that Penguin Books, one of the best-known publishers of the Qur'an in English, reported that it had printed 20,000 extra copies after 9/11.54
USA Today reported on this intense interest in "People Want to Know, so Koran is Bestseller," saying that sales of the Qur'an had increased by five times.55 When asked for his view on this matter, a leading expert in Islam, John Esposito, emphasized an important point:
The strength of the Qur'an is that a Muslim, or anyone, can open it to any page and get a message dealing with life's meaning.56
Newsweek devoted eight pages in its February 2001 issue to an examination of the Qur'an. In the report entitled "In the Beginning There Were the Holy Books," it emphasized that God revealed each holy book and that there was no room for religious conflict. Among the issues treated were Qur'anic morality, how Muslims regard Christians and Jews, and Islam teaches people to live. The report states that when they first read the Qur'an, many Christians are surprised to see how much is written in the Qur'an about such Prophets as Jesus, David, Abraham, and Jonah, peace be upon them all, who appear in the Bible. The report also stresses that justice, mercy, and compassion are basic to the Qur'an.
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In addition to becoming a best seller, some public schools asked their students to memorize some Qur'anic verses. For example, seventh grade students in Byron, California, public school system were to take a three-week course to give them detailed information about the tenets of Islam. In this course, they were to memorize Qur'anic verses, learn about Islamic history and the life of Prophet Muhammad, and even make speeches to the class using Muslim names that they had chosen for themselves. And this program was put into effect immediately. Along with this, it was proposed that students learn how Muslims pray and what Islam's religious duties are.57
A Muslim Leader Adresses A National Service of Remembrance
At a national service of commemoration held on September 14 to commemorate those who died on 9/11, President Bush invited the Muslim leader Muzammil Siddiqi to give the address. The service at the National Cathedral was attended by George Bush and Colin Powell, members of the military, bureaucrats, and relatives of those who lost their lives. In his address, Siddiqi prayed for those who died and recited Qur'anic verses.
Christians and Muslims pray together in the cathedral.
Friday Prayers in the American Congress
A small mosque has been set aside for Muslims working in the Congress to perform Friday prayers. In 1998, for the first time and under the initiative of Suhail Khan, Senator Tom Campbell's press secretary, Muslims started meeting once a month for conversation. A little while later, Muslims in other government departments joined and began to hold the Friday prayers in a room convenient for this purpose. When the numbers grew too large, talking with the management of the Congress building resulted in a small room being set aside as a mosque in which Muslims could meet for conversation and Friday prayers. Now, an average of 50 to 60 Muslims meet there every Friday.1
1. "Muslims Holding Regular Friday Prayers in U.S. Capitol," U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, http:usinfo.state.gov./usa/islam/ a091099.htm
American Congress opens for the first time with a reading from the Qur'an
In 2001, another historical event occurred. Every year when Congress begins its new session, there are readings from the Bible. This year, there was a reading from the Qur'an. This was an important event for all Muslims, and no one could have guessed only a few years ago that the Qur'an would be recited in the political heart of the world's only superpower. This is an example of how much Islam has grown in America.
Maryland State Senate opens with a reading from the Qur'an..
American official institutions teach the Qur'an
Because of the increasing numbers of Muslims in America and Islam's increasing influence in American social life, various institutions, among them the FBI, have begun to educate their employees about Islam.
The Number Of Muslims Is Increasing In Hawaii
As in other parts of America, the number of Muslims is increasing in Hawaii. The majority of converts in Hawaii are military personnel. One of them is Heather Ramaha, who works for the navy at Pearl Harbor. Her husband is a Muslim, and she decided to convert after 9/11. Hakim Ouansafi, president of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, reported that after 9/11, there was a visible increase in the number of Muslims in Hawaii. According to him, before 9/11 only about 3 Muslims converted a month; in the two months after the attacks, 23 people converted.
Reports about Muslims in Hawaii newspapers. In the report on the left, the president of the Muslim Association of Hawaii condemns the 9/11 attacks. The report on the right is about the rising conversion trend in Hawaii since 9/11.
Islam Is Spreading Among Latin American Immigrants
The densest wave of immigration to America is from Latin America. In many states today, Spanish and English are the majority languages. It is estimated that more than 40,000 Latin American Muslims live in Los Angeles, New York, Newark, and Chicago.1 The public assistance programs organized by Latin American Muslims have attracted interest. For example, the Alianza Islamica, whose members are mostly from Harlem, has achieved much success in the last few years in their struggle against drugs, AIDS, and crime.
1. Hisham Aidi, "Olé to Allah: New York's Latino Muslims," http:www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_19991101.htm
People in the state of Maine had a very keen interest in Islam. A few days after 9/11, there was a large increase in sales of the Qur'an and books on Islamic history. On September 22, the Bangor Daily News reported on the people's interest in Islam in "Mainers Studying Tenets of Islam." This article said, in part:
As Americans struggle to come to terms with last week's events, Mainers apparently are turning to encyclopedias, history books, biographies, textbooks and the Qur'an itself to understand what the majority of Muslims believe. Gig Weeks of Book Marc's in downtown Bangor said Wednesday the store had sold all but one copy of the Qur'an…. She said several of the titles are on back order until publishers can reprint them. Staffers at Borders Books, Music and Café in Bangor reported they had sold five copies of the Qur'an since Sept. 11, compared with the two copies that had been sold between Jan. 1 and Sept. 10.58
The article gave further information about this interest. For example, students at Bangor Theological School, who normally study about Islam toward the end of the school year, wanted to start the course right away, and so Dana Sawyer, one of the school's teachers, started a course about the Qur'an and the Prophet's life. In this course, Sawyer said that declaring all Muslims to be terrorists was the same as saying that all Christians are responsible for a crime committed by one Christian.59 The Guardian featured an article by Jeremy Rifkin, the well-known American economist, in which he said that he was ashamed that he had not read anything about Islam prior to 9/11, and that now he was not the only one engaged in learning about Islam:
I'm ashamed to admit it, but before September 11, I didn't pay much attention to Islam. I had a cursory knowledge of the historical struggle between Israel and its Arab neighbors. I knew a bit about the struggle with the west over oil.... It took the deaths of 5,000 Americans in a horrific act of terrorism to get my attention. Like so many others, I have been reading up on Islam—its tenets, internal struggles, . . . visions. . . , its similarities and deep differences with Christianity and the West... I'm not alone. Seven of the 15 lead books on the New York Times paperback bestseller list are devoted to Islam. The Koran has become a bestseller. The whole world, it seems, has been converted into a classroom as we try to make sense out of the tragic events of September 11 and its aftermath.60
The Rise Of Islam Will Continue
All of these developments indicate something striking: Islam is spreading quickly in America and gradually gaining power. The coming chapters will show how this growth is not limited to America, but how Islam is spreading everywhere in the world. These are very significant developments and, God willing, are signs of many more important developments. Therefore, these events are good news for believers and a cause for joy and excitement. In the Qur'an, God announces that true religion will indeed triumph, as in:
It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the True Religion to exalt it over every other religion, though the idolaters hate it. (Qur'an, 61: 9)
Thus, while evaluating these developments we must not forget that all of them are promises of God. Such an attitude is important, if they are to be appreciated as they should be. Otherwise, these events will be regarded as ordinary happenings in the general flow of life and simply as the results of a few political developments. But the truth is quite different. In fact, God has determined every moment that we experience according to His Destiny for us. Where and how people approach Islam, how many Qur'ans a bookstore sells, how a state official begins to take in interest in Islam and when, where, and how this interest will be expressed are all developments that God has already determined.
Although we know that God creates a reason for every event, we must always remember that He has already determined our destiny. Given this awareness, we realize that we should thank God for the blessing of creating us to live in this time, when such important developments are taking place. We say this because every event that we experience is a step leading to greater and more important developments, and every such event announces the good news that the blessed time for which Muslims have been waiting for centuries is approaching. Our thanksgiving for this blessing must take the form of both words and deeds. In other words, we must work to quicken the spread of the Qur'an's moral teachings, struggle against any irreligious ideologies and ideas that impede this development, and take every opportunity to convey these teachings.
One other point also should be kept in mind: Along with this rise, Muslims could continue to face various pressures from certain quarters. However, such concerns are beyond the scope of this book. Nevertheless, they cannot make us ignore the fact of Islam's rapid growth throughout the world, the increasing interest in Islam, and the continued growth of the Muslim population. Thus we must not confuse interest in Islam, especially in the West, with the prejudiced, anti-Islam, and anti-Muslim attitudes and hostile stances observed in some circles. These two topics must be discussed separately.
Similarly, when the Western world examines Islam, it must consider the moral values of the Qur'an and those who have sincerely adopted them. If they do not, instead of making decisions and policies that would contribute to world peace and ensure security and well-being, differences could be magnified and dialogue impaired. The basis for a dialogue between two civilizations will be established by the goodwill of believers, who conscientiously live according to the high morality that God commanded. Strengthening such a dialogue means that every viewpoint and ideology that violently agitates against peace and well-being by fomenting conflict, argument, and war will be eradicated. The fundamental support for the struggle against terror, violence, and every movement that damages world peace must be negotiation, dialogue, and a discussion at the level of ideas. This approach is the best way to prevent steps taken to bring world societies into peace and security from inadvertently harming innocent people and being used for other purposes.
Europe and Islam
Islam: Europe's Second Largest Religion
As in the rest of the world, Islam is in the midst of a rapid growth in Europe. This development has been attracting more attention in recent years, as evidenced by the many theses, reports, and articles published on "the place of Muslims in Europe" and "dialogue between European society and Muslims." Along with these academic reports, the media has carried frequent reports about Islam and Muslims. The root of this interest lies in the continual growth of Muslim population figures in Europe, and that this increase cannot be ascribed solely to immigration. While immigration certainly has had a significant effect on the Muslim population's growth, so many researchers have addressed this matter for quite another reason: high conversion rates.
The Roman Catholic Church, headquartered in Vatican City, is one of the institutions that follows conversion trends. One of the main topics during the October 1999 meeting of the European synod, which was attended by almost all of the Catholic clergy, was the Church's position in the new millennium. The conference's main theme was the rapid growth of Islam in Europe.
About 12 million Muslims live in Europe, which makes Islam its second largest religion. One of the clearest indications of Islam's rising influence there is the Muslim community's constant growth.
The National Catholic Reporterreported that some radical individuals stated that the only way to prevent Muslims' gaining power in Europe was to stop tolerating Muslims and Islam; other more objective and rational individuals underscored the fact that since the two religions believe in one God, there should be no room for any conflict or struggle between them. In one session, Archbishop Karl Lehmann of Germany stressed that there is more internal pluralism within Islam than many Christians perceive, and that the radicals' claims about Islam had no basis in truth.61
Considering the position of Muslims when elucidating the Church's position in the new millennium was quite proper, for a 1999 United Nations' survey showed that between 1989 and 1998, Europe's Muslim population grew by more than 100 percent.62 Today, about 13 million Muslims live in Western Europe: 3.9 million in Germany, 3.3 million in Britain, 7.5 million in France, and the rest in other countries.63
Relevant research also has revealed that while the number of Muslims in Europe continues to grow, there is a deepening of religious awareness among Muslims. According to a survey conducted by the French newspaper Le Monde in October 2001, compared to data collected in 1994, many Muslims continue to perform their prayers, go to the mosque, and fast. This awareness is seen much more among university students.64
In an Aktuel magazine article, which was based on reports in the foreign press, Western researchers said that Europe would become one of the most important centers for the dissemination of Islam about 50 years later.65
Along with this sociological and demographic research, we also must not forget that Europe has not become acquainted with Islam only recently, but that Islam is actually an inseparable part of Europe.
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The History of Islam in Europe
Europe and the realm of Islam have had close relations with each other for centuries. First, the state of Andalusia (756-1492) on the Iberian Peninsula, and later the Crusades (1095-1291) and the Ottoman capture of the Balkans (1389), brought about a constant interrelation between the two societies. Many historians and sociologists assert today that Islam was the leading cause of Europe's movement from the darkness of its Middle Ages to the brilliance of its Renaissance. At a time when Europe was backward in medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and many other fields, Muslims possessed a vast treasure of knowledge and great possibilities of development.
The first event that made Europeans aware of Islam's coming important place in their lives was the caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab's capture of Jerusalem (638). This caused Europe to realize for the first time that Islam was spreading and approaching its own borders. The main reason for the Crusades, launched four centuries later, was to take Jerusalem back from the Muslims. But the Crusaders who set out for this purpose gained something else, for the contact they made with the Muslim world was the first step toward Europe's rebirth. Dominated by darkness, conflict, war, and despotism, Europe encountered the Islamic world's advanced civilization and saw that its inhabitants were both highly prosperous and civilized, as well as quite advanced in the fields of medicine, astronomy, and mathematics as in their social lives. They also saw that values rarely found in Europe at that time (e.g., pluralism, tolerance, understanding, compassion, and self-sacrifice) were aspects of the high morality expressed by Muslims, who were aware of their religious responsibilities.
Meanwhile, as the Crusades continued, European societies also had relations with a Muslim society much closer to home: the Muslim kingdom of Andalusia, located in the southern part of their own continent. Andalusia had a great cultural influence upon Europe until its demise in the late fifteenth century. Many historians who have studied Andalusia's influence upon Europe agree that this kingdom, with its social structure and high level of civilization, was far more advanced than the rest of Europe, and that it was one of the principle factors in the development of European civilization. The prominent Spanish historian Blanco Ibañez writes that:
Jerusalem, when it entered the Islamic fold during the reign of 'Umar ibn al-Kattab, enjoyed a brand new period of peace and tolerance. The Islamic morality formed the basis of this exemplary environment.
Defeat in Spain did not come from the north; the Muslim conquerors came from the south. This was much more than a victory, it was a leap of civilization. Because of this, the richest and most brilliant civilization known in Europe was born and flourished throughout the Middle Ages between the 8th and the 15th centuries. During this period northern peoples were shattered by religious wars, and while they moved about in bloodthirsty hoards, the population of Andalusia surpassed 30 million. In this number, which was high for the time, every race and religion moved freely and with equality, and the pulse of society was very lively.66
With its well-illuminated streets, the capital Cordoba provided a striking contrast to the European cities and according to the English historian John W. Draper, "Seven hundred years after this time, there was not so much as one public lamp in London. In Paris, centuries later, whoever stepped over his threshold on a rainy day stepped up to his ankles in mud."67
Spain's famous Cordoba Mosque, built during 784-86.(left)
Interior view of one of the towers of Andalusia's famous Alhambra Palace.(right)
Interior view of one of the towers of Andalusia's famous Alhambra Palace.(right)
Andalusia finally ceased to exist in 1492 with the fall of Granada, the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula. But now, Europeans came face to face with the Ottoman Empire, which was beginning to advance in the Balkans during the fifteenth century as a result of several victories and mass conversions among the Balkan people. This conversion was never forced or obtained by pressure. In time, the Islamic morality put in place by the Ottomans brought those who witnessed it to choose Islam freely. Ottoman civilization, built on the Qur'anic moral values of justice, equality, tolerance, and compassion, remained in the Balkans for 400 years, and its traces can still be seen there. (A large number of these remains were destroyed by Serbian troops and missiles during the war in Bosnia, but this does not change the facts of history.) This Qur'anic-based civilization made Islam an important part of Europe. Even today, quite a large number of European Muslims live in the Balkans.
One person who believes that European civilization has learned much from Islam and that the two civilizations have always been intimately connected is Charles, Prince of Wales. Prince Charles describes Islamic civilization and what Andalusia and the Ottoman experience in the Balkans has taught Europe:Diplomacy, free trade, open borders, the techniques of academic research, of anthropology, etiquette, fashion, alternative medicine, hospitals, all came from this great city of cities. Mediaeval Islam was a religion of remarkable tolerance for its time, allowing Jews and Christians to practice their inherited beliefs, and setting an example which was not, unfortunately, copied for many centuries in the West. The surprise, ladies and gentlemen, is the extent to which Islam has been a part of Europe for so long, first in Spain, then in the Balkans, and the extent to which it has contributed so much towards the civilization which we all too often think of, wrongly, as entirely Western. Islam is part of our past and present, in all fields of human endeavour. It has helped to create modern Europe. It is part of our own inheritance, not a thing apart.68
The Swedish ambassador Ingmar Karlsson, known in Turkey for his book Islam and Europe, says that in the Andalusian period, Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together in peace and that this should be taken as a model in Europe.
High representative for the International Community in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, stresses in an article in the November 20, 2001 edition of the New York Times that the struggle against terror must not be directed against Islam and that it must never be forgotten that Islam is actually a part of Europe. In his article, "Islam is Part of the West, Too," he states: "When we step beyond the us-and-them paradigm, we might remember that Islam is part of the European tradition."69 Keeping this historical fact in mind is one way to prevent the chaos desired by those provocateurs who put forward the "clash of civilizations" thesis. Differences in civilization are not reasons for conflict; rather, they can be an important means of advancing dialogue.
1.Cordoba, 2.Edirne, 3.Istanbul, 4.Bursa, 5.Aleppo, 6.Medina al-Zahra, 7.Seville, 8.Marrakesh, 9.Tlemcen, 10.Kairuan, 11.Cairo, 12.Fez, 13.Granada, 14.Tunis, 15.Jerusalem, 16.Khiva, 17.Bukhara, 18.Herat, 19.Samarqand, 20.Agra, 21.Fatehpur Sikri, 22.Isfahan, 23.Jakarta, 24.Samarra, 25.Baghdad, 26.Damascus
European Leaders and Islam
European leaders have considered two facts very carefully: There will be no conflict between Islam and Christianity, and Islam has not allied itself with terrorism. Most European governmental leaders and prominent politicians have sent messages commending Islam and expressing their interest in its moral teachings.
As mentioned above, Prince Charles has a close connection with Islam. He first expressed this at Oxford in 1993. Since that time, he has had close relations with Muslims living in England and has attended many meetings and openings organized by Muslims. He also has expressed his admiration for Islam many times. At Wilson Park in 1996, he made his admiration for Islam clear, as well as the reasons for it. Stressing the following points, he stated:
I feel that we in the West could be helped to rediscover the roots of our own understanding by an appreciation of the Islamic tradition's deep respect for the timeless traditions of the natural order.... Modern materialism is unbalanced and increasingly damaging in its long-term consequences.... But during the past three centuries, in the Western world at least, a dangerous division has occurred in the way we perceive the world around us. Science has tried to assume a monopoly, even a tyranny, over our understanding. Religion and science have become separated... We are only now beginning to gauge the disastrous results... Science has done the inestimable service of showing us a world much more complex than we ever imagined. But in its modern, materialist, one-dimensional form, it cannot explain everything.... This [materialist] view is quite contrary, for example, to the outlook of the Muslim craftsman or artist, who is never concerned with display for its own sake, nor with progressing ever forward in his own ingenuity, but is content to submit a man's craft to God. That outlook reflects, I believe, the memorable passage in the Koran: "whithersoever you turn there is the face of God and God is all-Embracing, all-Knowing".... There are many ways in which mutual understanding and appreciation can be built. Perhaps, for instance, we could begin by having more Muslim teachers in British schools, or by encouraging exchanges of teachers. Everywhere in the world people want to learn English. But in the West, in turn, we need to be taught by Islamic teachers how to learn with our hearts, as well as our heads.70
Through the Prince Foundation, Prince Charles has sought to benefit Muslims. The Oxford Islamic Research Center, which began its activities in 1993, was founded with his sponsorship. The Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts department, which carries on its activities in conjunction with his foundation, works to provide, among other things, the sociological and economic means to support the traditions and cultures of British Muslims, cover the costs of education for Muslim children, and establish interreligious dialogue. Lately, through this section, the prince raised 10 million pounds for the Muslim Centre Project to be established in London.71
Prince Charles is especially concerned with educating Muslim youth. In 2001, for the first time he invited Muslims to attend a Ramadan celebration in Buckingham Palace, and there expressed his thoughts on this matter to specially invited Muslim young people. The event was reported in The Muslim News in the following words:
He welcomed the "greater sensitivity and imagination" offered by Muslim youth, because without that "we will become so much more dry and sterile." Prince Charles acknowledged the diversity of the Muslim youth present: "You make up what I can only describe as a very rich tapestry that makes an enormous difference to the diversity and richness of our country. One of the things I have always tried to get across, which is not always easy, is that in a world which is increasingly secular, increasingly materialistic, it is absolutely essential for all those who believe and have faith in something greater than ourselves in something beyond the purely material, are remembered and celebrated."72
During this reception, he chatted with individual young Muslims about their needs for more than an hour, asking them if they encountered any difficulties in their education, careers, and the practice of Islam. Among other things, the prince was especially curious about whether young people understood the spirit of the Qur'an, if they had read it from cover to cover, if they had encountered any difficulties at school during Ramadan, and whether they were happy with the food offered by their schools for the iftar meal.73
The interest shown by Prince Charles is certainly highly important. The change in the thinking of prominent statesmen on this matter is a huge step toward eradicating the false opinion that certain circles in the West have been trying to create about Islam. Clearly, a society whose leaders realize the beauty and superiority of Islamic morality will be able to approach Islam far more easily, and Muslims living in that society will enjoy more peaceful lives. For this reason, it is an important responsibility to ensure that prominent people receive accurate information about Islam. People familiar with Islam and its moral teachings, no matter what their position, certainly will share their impressions with others. If they are among the leaders of that particular society, both those who direct society and who address the masses will benefit from these impressions.
Therefore, when you read these descriptions, realize the extraordinary nature of these developments. In the Western world today, there is a growing rapprochement with Islam. Certainly this is good news for Muslims who work to show the proofs of God's Existence and Unity, defeat the prevailing materialist ideologies, and communicate true religion to others. Believers also are responsible for relating this good news to all Muslims.
Those Who Turn To Islam
As stated above, the sympathy that leaders feel for Islam deeply affects the desire of people to approach Islam. One indication of this is the number of Europeans who, over the last few years, have converted to Islam. Research shows that these new converts are not uneducated; rather, most of them have a university education and a career.
The April 30, 2001, edition of The Daily Telegraph published information about the turn to Islam, especially in England. While interviewing converts, the following picture emerged: Most of them have status in society, have strong family connections, and chose Islam after considerable research and study. For example, Joe Ahmed-Dobson, son of the former Minister of Health, was 16 years old when a friend gave him a copy of the Qur'an as a gift. In it, he says, he found the answers to all his questions. He officially accepted Islam at the age of 23, and was supported by his family in this decision. Apparently, his father gives him Islamic books as Christmas presents every year. Among recent converts in England are people like the son of John Birt, the former general director of BBC, and the daughter of Lord Justice Scott, a prominent judge. Over the past 20 years, an estimated 20,000 people in England have converted and, as in many other countries, the movement toward Islam has accelerated. According to the Manchester Mosque, after the events of 9/11, sixteen individuals accepted Islam there alone. One of the interesting things revealed by such research on converts is that far more women are turning to Islam. In America, one in four converts is a woman; in England, the figure is one in two.74
Islam also is growing rapidly in Denmark. After the official Protestant religion comes Islam, and the number of Catholics is slightly less than the number of Muslims. Of the 5.5 million Danes, 3% are Muslims.75 This growth in the number of Muslims is the result of high immigration. This increase was discussed in the Danish press in a report entitled "The Future of Denmark: Every Second Person is a Muslim." Research done by the well-known sociologist Eyvind Vesselbo, who lives in Denmark, shows that the number of Muslims in Denmark will increase considerably in the near future.76
Muslims in England
England has one of the densest Muslim populations. The English press often reports on Muslim issues. One of these special reports, "Special Report: Muslims in Britain," was posted on the BBC's Internet site. The Telegraph carried an article, "My dad buys me books about Islam,"on how English people accepted Islam
Women form the great majority of English converts.
Reports of Islam in the Media
Interestingly, the number of objective reports in the Western media introducing Islam has increased. Especially after the 9/11 attacks, people were curious about Islam and were seeking accurate information. In response, the media produced various reports and programs. The BBC broadcast documentary films about Islam on many television channels, invited special guests to appear on talk-shows, and produced a program series introducing Islam. Furthermore, many television stations added special sections about Islam on their Internet pages to provide information about Islam's basic requirements, history, sayings of the Prophet, and Qur'anic verses. Web sites that provide more comprehensive information also are provided.
In addition, many magazines and newspapers contain articles about Islam to answer people's questions. For example, the October 1, 2001, edition of Timemagazine carried an article by Karen Armstrong entitled "True, Peaceful Face of Islam," which provides the following information:
This article in Newsweek examines Islam in Europe and reports that Islam is constantly gaining influence in such countries as Italy, England, and France. For example, in East London, where chapels go empty, mosques open to take their place. In France, many buildings have been converted into mosques and are filled to overflowing by devout Muslims. Minarets rise in Madrid, and a grand mosque is being built in Italy.
More Europeans are converting to Islam than ever before, and many documentaries about Islam have been shown on European television since 9/11.
The very word Islam, which means "surrender," is related to the Arabic salam, or peace. When the Prophet Muhammad brought the inspired scripture known as the Koran to the Arabs in the early 7th century A.D., a major part of his mission was devoted precisely to bringing an end to the kind of mass slaughter we witnessed in New York City and Washington.... In the Koran, therefore, the only permissible war is one of self-defense. Muslims may not begin hostilities (2:190). Warfare is always evil, but sometimes you have to fight in order to avoid ... persecution.... The Koran quotes the Torah, the Jewish scriptures, which permits people to retaliate eye for eye, tooth for tooth, but like the Gospels, the Koran suggests that it is meritorious to forgo revenge in a spirit of charity (5:45).... Islam is not addicted to war ... The primary meaning of the word jihad is not "holy war" but "struggle".... In a statement in which the Arabic is extremely emphatic, the Koran insists, "There must be no coercion in matters of faith!" (2:256). Constantly Muslims are enjoined to respect Jews and Christians, the "People of the Book," who worship the same God (29:46). In words quoted by Muhammad in one of his last public sermons, God tells all human beings, "O people! We have formed you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another" (49: 13)—not to conquer, convert, subjugate, revile, or slaughter, but to reach out toward others with intelligence and understanding.77
Islam in France
Today, approximately 5% of the French population is Muslim. Islam, now France's second largest religion, is attracting the attention of the French media.
Preparations Have Begun to Make Islam an Offical Religion in Sweden
Research shows that there are more than 300,000 Muslims in Sweden, whose total population is about 10 million, and the government and people are very accepting of them. Last year, the government made a special allocation of funds to translate the Qur'an into Swedish for them and to build a big mosque where they can worship comfortably. Along with these projects, another fund has been established to support schools that provide Islamic education. In addition, there is now an initiative to make Islam an officially recognized religion.
Time magazine reported on the opening of Sweden's largest mosque in Stockholm. (right)
The Rise of Islam is the Cover Story in Der Spiegel
Islam's rapid rise throughout the world was the cover story of the well-known German magazine, Der Spiegel. This issue contained a 20-page report entitled "Who was the Prophet Mohammed?" and pointed out that true Islam had nothing to do with terrorism. It also presented the views of various historians, philosophers, sociologists, and politicians. The report states that no religion is spreading as fast as Islam, and quotes the words of prominent English philosopher Ernest Gellner: "Islam is the blueprint of a social order. It holds that a set of rules exists, eternal, divinely ordained, and independent of the will of men, which defines the proper ordering of society."
Television Documentaries Present Islam
Islam's rapid rise has been the topic of many television programs. In addition to concentrating on political and social issues, they also provide comprehensive documentaries on Islamic history and moral teachings. One example is the English project called the "The BBC Two's Islam Season," which was prepared as a 2-week series. Costing 1 million pounds to produce, it was to present the truth about Islam. A similar program was broadcast on the French-German channel: Arte. This documentary series, which took 3 years to produce, presents a detailed account of the Prophet's life and Islamic history.
The German President Visits A Mosque
German president Johannes Rau, an avid supporter of interfaith dialogue, expressed himself on this matter at a meeting of the World Council of Churches in Potsdam on January 29-30, 2001. The Council declared the next 10 years to be the "Decade to Overcome Violence." Rau stated that this was one of Europe's most important social initiatives. He stated further that freedom and justice were equally important, and that Social Darwinism had to be definitely rejected.1 Moreover, Rau showed the importance he placed on establishing dialogue by his visit to the Fatih Mosque in Marl. During this visit, arranged for the Ramadan Eid, he stated that Muslim holidays were as important as Christian ones, and that the struggle against terror was not related to Islam.
The number of German converts is also high. Germany, which has a dense Muslim population, has undertaken various initiatives to provide a better understanding and correct presentation of Islam. Among these efforts are the lessons in Islam, which will be given in German schools.
1- Notes on Church-State Affairs, vol, 43, Autumn 2001, no.2
The Growth of Islam in Belgium
At the beginning of the 1990s, Belgium had about 285,000 Muslims; by 1998, there were 350,000 Muslims. This is 2.5% of the Belgian population. There are now 240 places of Islamic worship in Belgium, and Islam continues to grow rapidly.1 Today, Belgium has more Muslims than Protestants and Jews, and is the second largest religious community after Catholicism. The Belgian government has always been well-disposed toward Belgian Muslims and, as early as 1974, passed a law to protect their freedom of belief and worship. According to this law, Muslims are as free as Catholics, Protestants, and Jews to practice and teach their religion. One of its most important provisions deals with teaching Islam in state schools. At present, Belgium has about 700 Muslim teachers in state schools.
They receive salaries and expenses from the government.The Belgian government also covers the cost of building worship centers and hiring clergy. This support allows Islam to spread, and is indicated by the opening of the Genk Yunus Emre Mosque on January 28, 2002. Mayor Jef Gabriels, who attended the opening, considered this day a holiday, and the vicar Jan Boonen expressed his thoughts as follows:
"There's a house, people live in it; there's a house, a hospital is being built; there's a house, a bank is being built. But this house is a different house. This is God's house, and we come here only to bow down to him." 2
1. Prof. Herman De Ley, "Muslims in Belgium: Enemies from within or fellow Citizens," http://isim.leidenuniv.nl/newsletter/1/forum/01AE35.html
2. Zaman, Metin Keskin, January 28, 2001
2. Zaman, Metin Keskin, January 28, 2001
An Italian Ambassador Becomes A Muslim
Actually, Torquoato Cardilli was the second ambassador who converted to Islam. Before him, Ambassador Mario Scialoja also had converted to Islam. Having converted when he was Rome's permanent ambassador to the United Nations, Scialoja was later appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Cardilli had spent many years in Muslim countries, and his conversion shows once again the rapid growth of Islam in Italy. About 1 million Muslims live in Italy and in the last two or three years about 5,000 people have converted.1
1. Reuters, November 26, 2001
The Western press and news agencies were attracted by Torquato Cardilli's, Italian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, conversion to Islam. Above we see a Reuters' report entitled "Rome's Envoy to Saudi Arabia Converts to Islam."
Above we see Europe's largest mosque: the mosque in Rome
Islam in Denmark
Islam is the fastest growing religion in Denmark. This growth is fostered by the warm relations with the Danish government. One of the most striking instances of this support was an historical first: Danish state television broadcast a Friday sermon delivered in the mosque of the Turkish Cultural Center.
Islam in the Educational System in Europe
Above: A New York Times' article entitled "Austrian School Drama: Crucifix Meets Ramadan," reports on the Muslims' education rights in Austrian schools. In Europe's many Islamic schools, the state curriculum includes courses introducing Islam. Certainly, this initiative will be the most effective way to combat radicalism and the foundation stone in any dialogue established between the two cultures.
